EAR MITES? HELP

[FCStanley]

MHi everyone,

I’m new to this site! I have a 5 month old dwarf lop named Stanley.
About a month ago I noticed a lot of scratching and head shaking. He was taken to the vet who treated him for an ear infection. He’s been on Penn G injections daily as well as Meloxicam for pain/inflammation (this is his 4th week on these)

A few days ago I noticed his ear scratching worsen (it had nearly stopped after the first 2 weeks of medication)

I sent photos to the vet and she said I can wait until he comes back in to the vet in 3 days, or treat with revolution for ear mites to rule those out.
I am going to pick up some revolution today (it’s currently 6am in Australia so I have to wait till any of the vets open)

But I am wondering if this looks like the start of ear mites?
if so, does this mean the whole time he’s had ear mites and giving him daily injections were pointless as we should’ve just treated as ear mites from the start?
I feel so bad for my little man, I can tell he’s uncomfortable and so itchy.
I have added photos hopefully they work and are visible.
he is going back to the vet in 2 days anyways, but want to get some other opinions.

[LBJ10]

It’s hard to tell from the pictures. But from what I can see, it does look like some kind of mite. The fur looks a bit sparse on the back of his neck too. Ear mites (and fur mites) can be treated relatively easily with Revolution. It doesn’t hurt to treat with Revolution, so sometimes vets will prescribe it even if a skin scraping is negative.

Do you know the reason why the vet chose to treat with an antibiotic first? Did the ear appear to be infected upon examination or x-ray? Why straight to Pen G? I guess it isn’t the end of the world if he was treated for an infection. I mean, it would prevent the ear mites from causing a secondary infection (due to scratching all the time). However, it would have been better to do the treatment at the same time.

[DanaNM]

It’s hard to fully tell from the photos, but ear mites usually start deep within the ear and spread outward. This looks more like it’s localized on the outside, which could actually be fur mites. I think you could start treatment now either way (the treatment is the same) and then have your vet assess when you see them in 3 days. The mites could be secondary to the inner ear infection, so I don’t necessarily think the previous treatments were in vain.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[FCStanley]

thanks for you reply <3

The hair on the back of his neck was shaved at the vet to make it easier for me to give the Penn G injections at home, Apart from his ears, there seems to not be any thinning hair or anywhere else that is constantly irritating him.
The very first vet consultation she examined him, looked down into his ears and said it was inflamed and there was puss, indicating an ear infection.
I’ve given him a dose of Revolution this morning, I’ve heard it kicks in relatively fast so I’m really hoping it is some kind of mite and this helps.

[Granite Ridge]

Doesn’t look like ear mites. They start in the inner ear and work their way up. This looks like scratches from scraping with long toe nails.

[Bam]

Pus in the ear would indeed indicate an ear infection. Lop rabbits are prone to ear infections. If the infection is inside the ear, it’s very difficult to treat. Outer ear infections are as a rule treated with drops and cleaning, but that would be dangerous if the tympanic membrane isnt intact or at risk of breaking. For a middle ear infection, antibiotics is the only thing to try, next step would be surgery.

Its still good to try treating with Revolution in case there are mites as well. But these sores could be from him scratching at his ears because the infection is causing him pain or an itch.

[auntie]

I have a 7 month old lion head who just got ear mites. The vet treated him with Revolution and I had to give him ear drops twice a day. He had it in one ear.

if you look at my pictures of my rabbits ear then look at the title itchy ears.

 

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